On Your Own, Part Two
"On Your Own, Part Two" was the seventh issue of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Nine comic book series. Synopsis Buffy's roommates take a vote on whether they should allow Buffy to stay with them or not. And both of them are confused and surprised at the other when they realize that both of them want her in the apartment. It's actually safe to live with a slayer, she has a crossbow and she could teach Tumble how to use one and she's actually a cool person. They just had overreacted. But when they both go to her room to announce her the good news they realize that Buffy has already gone, finding only her stuff packed there. We go to Buffy. She's on top of the spaceship, which is flying over the city. She looks sad and she's thinking. Spike comes telling her that her suitcase is in the cabin and that the bugs can pick up her things whenever she wants. She says when the roomies are not home, Tumble is too scared of cockroaches which have the size of an actual cockroach, imagine what would happen at the view of a giant one. Spike worried asks her if she's sure about it. Yes she is, her roomies look at her now the way people look at Spike whenever he gets his vampire face. Another proof of how messed up she is with ordinary things. But that isn't what Spike wanted to know. He was actually asking her about the pregnancy. He called the doctor as she had asked him to do and arranged an appointment for her for the following day. And Buffy doesn't want to postpone or cancel it, she is sure about it and she wants to get through with it once and for all. For the first time in her life she feels that she must do the right thing considering her life and choices. We're leaving them for the moment and we go inside a police car where Dowling with his partner are. They hear on the police radio that help is needed on the Pioneer Park. There is a vampire threat. And Dowling has some stakes hidden inside his car after meeting with Spike the previous night. And they decide to move and go to help. Back to Spike and Buffy this time in the spaceship cabin. Buffy complains while she tries to put her clothes inside it. But it fits all of Spike's clothes, and the snarking between them has already begun. But Spike wants to get things right to the point and wants to know if it was true that he was her first choice to run away with when she found out she was pregnant. Bug!Sebastian wasn't careful when he/she/it was cleaning up the place. If Buffy had thought of getting away from her calling forever, who would have been a better option to consider doing it with? But she believes that things wouldn't have worked out between them. And that makes Spike complain, he says she has never watched him with kids before and he has certainly done a great job looking out for Dawn during the time she was dead the second time. Which makes Spike totally angry and gets out of the room. She has already regretted saying that, but it's too late. Spike is so furious that he lets it out on bug!Sebastian while he/she/it tries to apologize for losing a leg in Buffy's cabin before his phone rings. It's Dowling on the phone. Spike still frustrated tells him that he doesn't have any time right now to tutor him about vampires. But Dowling admits that he's not ready for a vampire nest and now he knows why. He is looking at one this very moment and that makes Spike get back to reality and forget his anger and to run for help. The detectives are alone on this for the moment. Their back up is already dead. A crashed police car and a scene full of blood. And the attack on them begins. A zompire goes for his partner. Back on Spike in the ship. He orders the bug to get to the park ASAP. Goes to Buffy to tell her what's happening while she's having a hard time trying to realize why the bugs use European sockets. And he tells her about the nest and that he's going to help the detectives. Buffy wants to go as well but Spike wants to hear nothing about it. Until she does the abortion, slaying is forbidden to her. We see Buffy's angry eyes. Back to the detectives. Dowling's partner is in a very bad position and Dowling can do nothing but just watch her getting attacked while he hides behind the crushed car. But unfortunately more zompires arrive and they go straight to him. He runs inside the tower and locks himself there. Just right when Spike arrives and jumps out of the spaceship attacking the zompires. Two can play this game so he puts on his gameface as well and starts dusting. Meanwhile back inside the tower building, Dowling tries to remember what he learned the previous night. Buffy is watching everything form the spaceship. She sees the zompires climbing the tower trying to get to Dowling and orders the bugs to take the spaceship as close as they can so she can jump in for help. The zompires have reached Dowling and he's in a truly bad position. Just in time Buffy comes and helps him and he does his very first dusting which certainly won't be his last. While Buffy is getting ready to slay the rest of them, Dowling is surprised to see her living inside the spaceship as well. Buffy slays the zompires. But Dowling didn't have to hear that from Spike, it's written all over his face that he's in love with Buffy. Buffy orders him and runs to help Spike because things get tough for him down there. But Buffy pretty easily eliminates the threat and helps Spike who thanks her for that. "Is it true Spike? Are you still in love with me?" "You really going to make me say what everyone else already worked out?" But Buffy is terrible at everything besides slaying and wonders why he didn't tell her. How could he? She has more serious things to work out and he touches her belly. But he understands now how things are between them. So when he knows she's fine he'll take the spaceship and run away from her and from her life. Buffy is very surprised to find out that he's been sticking around there for her. Spike continues while they're getting closer and closer ready to kiss. And suddenly... A zompire attacks out of nowhere tearing apart Buffy's arm. Spike attacks the zompire and slays it. He grabs Buffy's arm while she still hasn't realized what has happened and wonders if that's her arm! But right now her arm is the least thing that should worry her because as Spike says, she's gone all mechanical and he signals the bugs to come and pick them up. The panels change and for a while we go to Dowling who talks to the bugs surprised to find out that in their home planet they step on little humans, just like we humans do here on Earth stepping on little cockroaches. But of course the bugs are just kidding. We go back to Buffy and Spike. "I don't understand. I'm me. I'm Buffy. I'm not a robot!". But Spike knows what it's like to be around a robot and she's certainly one. "I think this means I'm not pregnant. Spike ... I'm a f$$@ing robot!" Continuity The story was set after "Slayer, Interrupted", but before "Apart (of Me)". *Spike mentioned he could be good with children, given his time taking care of Dawn after Buffy's death in "The Gift" until "Bargaining, Part Two". *Buffy was shown to be surprised that Spike was still in love with her, having by that point assued he had had moved on from her. This ignorance of Spike's continued feelings echoed "Crush". *Spike told her he was tired of being used as her dark place, something he previously mentioned in the last issue (As well as Buffy stating it herself in "Last Gleaming, Part One"). *When Buffy was in shock to see her body mechanical after getting her arm ripped off, Spike told her he knew his way around a Buffybot so she definitely was one. This was a reference to his sexual encounters with the last Buffybot in "Intervention". Appearances Individuals *Buffy Summers *Spike *Detective Dowling *Detective Cheung (drained, then sired) *Anaheed *Tumble *Sebastian Organizations and Titles *Slayer *San Francisco Police Department Species *Slayer *Vampire *Zompire *Human Events Locations *San Francisco Weapons and Objects *Battle Axe *Stake *Crossbow (only mentioned) Body Count *Miranda Cheung, drained and sired by a zompire. *Two zompires, dusted by Spike. *One zompires, dusted by Robert Dowling. *Nine zompires, dusted by Buffy. Behind the Scenes Collections *''On Your Own'' * Buffy Season 9 Library Edition, Volume 1 Pop Culture References *Irritated, Spike snarked to Dowling about not having time for "Keystone Cops". Keystone Cops were police in silent films during the 20th century, usually comically incompetent. *Spike said he would go off on his space ship into the "wild black yonder", a reference to Star Trek. Quotes Gallery Previews BS97P1.jpg BS97P2.jpg BS97P3.jpg BS97P4.jpg nl:On Your Own, Deel Twee Category:Buffy comics Category:Season Nine